UAE billionaire Khalaf Al Habtoor slams Trump, warns Iran strikes will destabilize Middle East 

WEB DESK: The prominent Dubai-based billionaire Khalaf Al Habtoor has delivered a blistering critique of U.S. President Donald Trump’s military stance toward Iran. In a rare public rebuke from one of the Gulf’s most influential business figures, Al Habtoor warned that American-led strikes risk plunging the Middle East into a state of irreparable chaos.

According to CNN, Speaking with characteristic candour, the founding chairman of the Al Habtoor Group argued that the pursuit of peace through aggressive military intervention is a fundamentally flawed strategy that threatens the safety and economic stability of the entire region.

A rejection of force

The Emirati tycoon, whose business empire spans the hospitality, automotive, and education sectors, expressed deep scepticism over the effectiveness of military might in resolving long-standing geopolitical tensions. “You cannot take everything by force… by war,” Al Habtoor stated, emphasising that the complexities of Middle Eastern relations require nuanced diplomacy rather than ballistic solutions.

He questioned the moral and legal standing of the United States in its recent escalations, pointedly asking who granted Washington the authority to drag sovereign regional nations into a potentially catastrophic confrontation with Tehran.

Concerns for regional stability

Beyond the immediate human cost, Al Habtoor’s concerns centre on the fragile equilibrium of the Middle East. He argued that the ripple effects of a full-scale conflict would extend far beyond the borders of Iran, disrupting global trade routes and devastating the local investment climate.

By challenging the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign, the billionaire has highlighted a growing anxiety among the Gulf’s merchant class, who fear that a miscalculated spark could ignite a blaze that no amount of international intervention could easily extinguish. For Al Habtoor, the path forward must be paved with dialogue, not the drums of war.